The National - Alligator

The National are so damn boring. I say this in the kindest way possible.

Sorry, National fans, but I don't really think you can deny it. Matt Berninger sounds like he's almost trying to be drab. Not to mention many of these songs sound awfully similar, his dry and languid voice blabbering about wine and late nights on the town. The kind of stuff you'd converse about at upper-class suburban dinner parties.

This isn't to say his voice is completely sleep-inducing; he does give some incredibly inspired vocal performances on "Abel" and "Mr. November", two of the album's finest and catchiest numbers. But on the other tracks, it just lulls along. (See opener "Secret Meeting").

So why is this album so enjoyable?

Actually, let me retract that last statement. It's great if you're in the mood for it. If you just pop Alligator at 6PM on a summer night, you'll get nothing out of it. This is not music for parties, or barbecues, or road trips. Rather, it's music for late nights, regrettable nights, and everything in between. And after a few listens, Berninger's voice is perfectly relaxing, ideal for the kind of music these boys play.

Long live the National. Long live tedious, hipster nightclub music that's flawless in the strangest way possible.